Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38271393›Full record

ArticlePloS one2024

Consumer objective and subjective knowledge about healthy foods: An approach to promote healthy lifestyle choices in South Africa.

Daleen van der Merwe, Hanli de Beer, Susanna Ellis, Petra Bester, Frederick Marais, Adri Steyn

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
3.3field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Daleen van der MerweFaculty of Health Sciences, Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0003-0861-4202
Hanli de BeerFaculty of Health Sciences, Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0002-4806-5941
Susanna EllisUnit for Business Mathematics and Informatics, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0002-7163-3265
Petra BesterFaculty of Health Sciences, Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Frederick MaraisFaculty of Health Sciences, Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Adri SteynFaculty of Health Sciences, Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
North-West University · ZA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Unhealthy food choices and consumption, coupled with sedentary lifestyles among consumers, intensify public health concerns regarding the quadruple disease burden, despite Primary Health Care (PHC) policy. However, the current relationship between consumer knowledge about healthy foods and following a healthy lifestyle needs to be explored. Our study, therefore, aimed to determine the association between consumers' subjective and objective knowledge about healthy foods and various healthy lifestyle choices. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among employed consumers (N = 157) from South African corporate settings. We used structural equation modelling (SEM) to determine associations between subjective and objective knowledge about healthy foods and healthy lifestyle choices. Our findings showed that most participants scored high on making healthy lifestyle choices relating to avoiding smoking (69.5%) and limiting drinking alcohol (68.7%) but less so for food and sleep (44.4%) while neglecting exercise, relaxation (13.7%), and choices that require dedicated effort (25.2%). On average, participants had high levels of subjective (mean = 3.59; 5-point Likert scale) knowledge and objective knowledge about healthy foods (88.4-95.9% correct responses). However, their objective knowledge about weight and cholesterol had severe deficiencies (36.7%). SEM confirmed an association between subjective knowledge and most healthy lifestyle choice categories, while income contributed to dedicated effort lifestyle choices. By contrast, objective knowledge did not associate with such choices. Our structural model suggests that subjective knowledge about healthy foods contributes to healthy lifestyle choices. Therefore, subjective knowledge and the objective knowledge deficiencies we identified among corporate consumers can serve as a valuable starting point for informed education to promote PHC policy and healthy lifestyle choices.

Indexed as

Food PreferencesFoods, SpecializedConsumer BehaviorCross-Sectional StudiesHealthy LifestyleHumansSouth Africa

Identifiers

PMID38271393
PMCPMC10810447
OpenAlexW4391215654

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.